Nimbly, the black cat leaps from one rooftop to the next. Carefully, the feline jumps down the higher portion of the roof, and onto the lower. It crouches low before pouncing, as it soars it becomes a blur of darkness against the blue sky. It lands on the ground, completely silent, and then takes a look around. The small creature's large yellow eyes rest on its target, and then prances onward.

He hums to himself as he walks, a short smile on his face. His pony tail sways from side to side with every step. At first he doesn’t hear the sound of the nearby bell, but then comes to a stop. He looks down, watching as a black cat swings in and out of his legs in a figure-eight motion.

“Hello there.” The young man softly says. He bends down, stroking his long fingers through the cat’s short fur. He scratches under its chin, causing it to purr and the bell to jingle.

A piece of folded paper falls out of the cat’s collar, and lightly hits the earth. The young man stares absentmindedly at the paper for a moment, “What’s this?” He whispers to himself whilst picking it up. As he rises to his full height, the cat dashes away.

He examines the intricately creased paper, recognizing it instantly as origami. A crane. Sliding his fingers gently over a wing, he spots writing on the underside. Very cautiously as to not rip the material, he unfolds the paper animal.

Once he has completed this job, he reads the beautiful script. He then blinks, once. Twice. Finally, the wording sinks in. He then turns around, and begins to stride the opposite direction.

"It looks like dinner will have to wait.” He tells himself, closing his eyes as his close-lipped smile widens just the slightest.

He walks into the building, the bottoms of his geta (traditional Japanese sandals), clacking against the solid flooring. It was a nice change, though, as he didn’t like it when mud got stuck between the “teeth” of the footwear. But, after a while, the sound gets a bit on the annoying side.

His attention drifts about the room – which appears to be a shop; from the counter that rests towards the front to the pieces of art that appears to be up for sale. The paintings are beautiful, and of either scenery or people. But, nothing caught his interest.

But, this is where the letter had told him to go. . .

His lower lip drops slightly as his mouth opens, as he is about to say something. But, the words are left unspoken as a voice fills the small space: “Tsukino Masanori.”

Opening one eye at the sound of his name, Masanori wanders into the back of the building. He steps through the strips of cloth that hang down a doorway, and into another room. This must be the living quarters. . .

Masanori slides off his geta and keeps them by the opening, and then glances away from the dining space to what must be a bedroom. He slowly moves over to the sliding door, and moves it aside, revealing a girl sitting in the center of the room, her back to him.

She glances over her shoulder to look at him, and laughs.

“I had a feeling it was you, Yasu.” Masanori states with a chuckle.

The girl seems surprised by this, and she turns herself around to completely face him. She slams her fists against the ground, and gives him a somewhat agitated expresion, with the tone to match. “What!? How!?”

Yasu and Masanori then watch as the black cat struts into the room, and Yasu produces a large sigh.

Masanori glances back at Yasu and shakes his head, “You’re the only one I know in this village who actually enjoys the company of cats. . . and is a perfectionist when it comes to origami.”

Her shoulders slouch as she gets to her feet, and stands before Masanori. He is tall, several inches over six feet, giving them a near 12-inch difference. But, her fierceness and confidence are clearly reflected by her eyes. Size wasn’t something that mattered to her.

Masanori and Yasu are sitting before one another on the floor. There would be silence, if it weren’t for Masanori scratching the cat’s chin, causing it to purr.

“So what is it? Parasyte. You’ve heard of it. . . seeing as it’s the reason you wanted to have this meeting.” Masanori says, his voice once more gentle.

Yasu sighs, rocking back and throwing her hands behind her head. “That’s the thing. We don’t really know what it is. . but we do know what it does.” She allows herself to fall back, and sprawls out. She stares up at the ceiling of her home, deep in thought.

“We?” Masanori wonders aloud, sliding his hand away from the feline. It protests for a moment, producing a yowl for a complaint. He gives the cat an apologetic glance, and it strolls out of the room and back into the shop.

“Everyone who is aware of Parasyte.” Yasu sighs, letting her eyes shut for a moment. She sits up and looks at Masanori once more. “I mean, we all know that it was some English man who brought it here nearly ten years ago. . .”

“Ellis McGwin.” Masanori responds, almost under his breath.

“He’s dead now, though the man deserves much more than that.” Yasu hisses between her teeth. She then screams, filled with a sudden rage. “He’s the very reason for my parents being dead!”

Masanori gazes remorsefully at Yasu, but doesn’t speak a word. He has known Yasu for four years now. She was 12 at the time, and he was 16. He had been wandering around the village, having just arrived from another village nearly ten miles away. The scream that came from the very room they sit in now was one that he would never forget. Her father, infected by Parasyte, had killed her mother within seconds. He had almost gotten Yasu, if Masanori hadn’t shown up. . . and drove a blade through his heart. . . the only way to kill someone with Parasyte.

“It drives a man insane.” Masanori sighs, opening his eyes just the slightest. He was the one who always walked around with his eyes shut.

“And gives them the strength to tear apart a human with just their bare hands, as well as the speed and reflexes of some demon. That’s what Parasyte turns someone into. . . is a fucking demon.” Yasu spits the words out as though they’re acid. “From the way their eyes glow red. . . to the way they act. . . demons.”

“And you’re just deciding this now?” Masanori arches a brow to emphasize his question.

“No. I have been for a while. Actually, made an attempt. . .” Yasu scratches the back of her head, muttering something to herself. She then clears her throat and speaks up again, “But Parasyte is spreading. And before we know it, everyone in Japan will have either been infected. . . or dead.”

“I see.” Masanori nods. He tilts his head back and takes in a deep breath. He then releases it through his clenched teeth, and scrunches his nose slightly.

There was no denying the facts. Parasyte was becoming a problem. Too many innocent lives were lost every day now. But, the true problems arose when the “big guys” are infected – such as samurai, or the daimyo. But, even more so when a shogun was. . . Masanori still remembers walking through a village that had been destroyed by a group of four men who were infected. There were no survivors, and even every structure had been burnt to the ground.

When Masanori lowers his head, he is startled to see Yasu’s face an inch away from his. He jumps away, now on his feet. She clasps her hands together, and starts to beg on her knees. “PLEASE MASANORI! PLEASE! THIS IS FOR EVERYONE! EVEN THE WORLD! PLEASE!”

Masanori sighs, his shoulders sagging as he runs a hand through his hair. “I suppose. . . I could help. . .”

“THANK YOU!” Yasu screeches, a wide grin forming on her face as she leaps up and grasps Masanori in a tight hug.

“Hey hey hey.” Masanari waves his arms around, and then pulls her off of him. “But just. . . don’t expect me to be able to save the world or anything, okay? I'll do what I can to make things better, though. I’m one man. . . I can only do so much. . .”

Masanori has left the village, already starting to regret his decision. He should have just told her to find someone else to do the job. But, of course, he had to play hero.

“I’m such an idiot.” Masanori groans, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He crosses a bridge, trying to focus more on the noise of the flowing river to drown out that of the annoying clacking of his geta. But, there was another bothersome aspect. The sun. In Heiwa Village, there were plenty of trees to produce constant shade. Now, Masanori finds himself out in the open, where the sun assaults his pale skin.

A forest isn’t too far away, though. Though, not even that looked all too pleasing.

As he reaches the end of the wooden bridge, someone rushes past him. Five more men are quick to follow the first, and Masanori stops and turns to watch them run. He scans each one, recognizing the way they moved. Their expressions. Their grasp on their swords. But, more importantly, the large bag that one carries.

Thieves.

And they are heading straight towards Heiwa Village.

“Excuse me.” Masanori calls out, using his free hand to try and act as an amplifier for sound.

This catches one of their attentions, and the large man comes to a stop. He gives a disgruntled sigh before skidding to a stop, and looking back at Masanori. His thick brows are knitted together, and his broad chin juts out partially.

“What is it?” He asks.

The two are separated by the bridge. And the others notice that the one had stopped, and do the same. Masanori had a feeling that this was the leader.

“Um. Yes. You dropped this.” Masanori beams, and holds up the bag. . . the one that the man had been holding not even seconds before.

“HUH!? What!?” He shouts in disbelief, eyes widening to twice their size as he looks from his own hands to Masanori.

“You guys have been pretty busy, hm? I can tell. This thing is pretty heavy. Must be filled with lots of valuable stolen things.” Masanori sighs as he swings the bag from left to right, careless, even though he is aware of there being fragile items inside.

All of the thieves have fallen silent, and are tense, their eyes following the bag’s every motion.

“WOOPS!” Masanori gasps, and the bag slips out of his grip. It goes flying, and into the river.

The thieves all turn their heads in unison, watching as their stolen goods start to get carried away by the slow current.

“Oh dear. Look at what I’ve done. My apologies.” Masanori chuckles, fanning himself with his fan.

They all give Masanori a fierce glare and a snarl in response.

One thief lunges for the river, but Masanori is instantly in front of him. The thief swiftly pulls out his katana, and swings at Masanori. But, Masanori catches the blade by closing his fan on it. The thief tries to pull away, but is incapable. He looks at Masanori, and growls.

With eyes still shut (as always), and a subtle smile on his face, Masanori twists the fan, causing the blade to be pulled out of the man’s grip. The man staggers forward, and Masanori kicks him in the ribs. All air knocked out of him, and several ribs being broken, the man collapses. His katana spins in the air, and then comes down, driving itself into the ground just an inch away from his head. The man looks, wide-eyed, at his very close blade, and then passes out.

Masanori fans himself once more, looking from the unconscious man to the other five thieves. . . who all unsheathe their blades.

Two of the thieves charge at the same exact time, and the other two stand back in a defensive position. They swing their blades in unison, each one striking for his face, both of which Masanori avoids by back-stepping. He can tell by both of their faces, and same smaller build, that they are twins. The only difference is that the one standing on the right has a scar on his chin. Otherwise, the two are identical in every way – from movements to expressions.

The one with the scar nods at the other, and then they both dash forward once more. Instead of striking head on, they do a quick twirl and then slash at Masanori’s sides, each one on opposite sides of him. As he tries to step forward, the one on the right swiftly gets in his path, and the other takes position at Masanori’s back.

They’re good. Masanori thinks to himself, his smile not faltering for a second.

The two strike, knowing that there wouldn’t be enough time for Masanori to avoid. Not when they’re so close to him. And one wrong step would get him killed either way.

Yet, they are left dumbfounded and stare at their hands. Their swords. . . are gone. . .

The twins look up at Masanori, who stands between them, fanning himself. And in his other hand, he holds their blades.

As the twins make their move, Masanori splays his fan out as wide as possible. Holding his breath, he smacks the blade of the front twin’s katana, and swipes in an upward motion. The katana slips out of the twin’s hold, and Masanori catches it with his free hand. He then skillfully and swiftly splays the fan out behind him, and closes it, catching the back twin’s blade. Masanori then steals that katana as well.

But, it had happened too quickly for the twin thieves to notice.

Masanori sticks their swords into the ground at his sides, and gestures for the twins to come get them. With fists ready, the twins move toward him. Surrounded by the blades at his sides, and the twins behind him and in front of him, Masanori spins, ducks, and sweeps from side to side whilst using just his fan to fight them off. As one twin reaches for the hilt of a katana, Masanori smacks their hand away with his fan. They cry out, grasping onto their now broken fingers. The other twin uses this as his chance.

As his fingers brush against the blade, Masanori whirls around and outstretches his arm. The wooden part of the fan collides with the twin’s forearm, and a loud snap is heard. The twin curses aloud, grasping his arm and staggering back.

The leader looks at his last remaining, fully functioning, follower and nods.

Instantly, the thief listens to this gestured order, and charges straight towards Masanori. “AHHHHHH!” He holds his blade up high, ready to swing down. But, before he can do so, Masanori has held his leg up, and the thief’s face connects with the bottom of his geta.

The leader winces, watching as his thief is frozen in that position – face driven into Masanori’s sandals, blade held high, and legs still in running motion. After a moment, Masanori lowers his leg and takes a step back, allowing the thief’s teeth to fall out, and then for him to fall forward and onto the ground with a thud.

Masanori glances up at the leader, whom glowers.

“What are you?” The leader questions, his voice low and gruff. But, it fit, as this man is probably well near eight feet in height, and packed with muscle.

“Just a travelling man.” Masanori replies, fanning himself once more.

The leader grunts at this, and pulls a massive blade off his back. He lets his arm hang, allowing the bottom of the weapon to hit the ground.

The earth leaps and then rumbles, and Masanori gazes at his fan. He then holds his fan out, as though it is a sword, and aims it at the leader – who produces a bellowing laugh in response.

“I would like you to know the name of the man who took your life, so you can think about it the entire time you’re in the other world.” The leader snorts as he effortlessly swings the massive blade off to the side. Masanori turns his head, and watches as a tree falls in half, once more causing the ground to jump.

“I suppose I would, too.” Masanori lightly chuckles. "It'd be nice to think of at least something while I'm there."

Yoshikazu bounds up into the air, and makes an attempt to come down on top of Masanori. But, he nimbly steps aside. Yet, Yoshikazu still manages to twist his body in time to smack Masanori with the flat of his blade. Masanori is sent flying away. He hits the ground, and takes in a sharp breath.

Yoshikazu wasn’t going to give Masanori any time to recover, and as soon as he hits the ground, he attacks. Masanori rolls onto his back, and as the blade comes down, he maneuvers away. The blade, parallel to him, Masanori swings his leg out and to the side, the bottom of his geta catching the flat of the sword. Yoshikazu is taken by surprise, the force and power behind Masanori’s kick more than he had anticipated. Yoshikazu stumbles to the side, but manages to regain balance. But, Masanori had used this as his chance to get back up to his feet.

Growling under his breath, Yoshikazu swings at Masanori once more. The smaller man leaps up, and lands on the blade. Yoshikazu’s eyes widen as Masanori slides down the blade and right towards him. Just as Yoshikazu swipes the sword away, Masanori had jumped up. He then kicks, getting Yoshikazu square in the nose. He drives his foot in, and then backflips off.

The large man roars as Masanori lightly lands several feet away. He rubs his nose, and then looks at his hand, which is now stained with his own blood. Yoshikazu scowls at Masanori. And if looks could kill, Masanori would most definitely be dead right there.

“You’ve had your fun.” Yoshikazu hisses, now holding his sword in both hands and getting into a different stance.

Before Masanori could react, he finds himself being flung into the air and rammed into a tree. Yoshikazu had thrown him as easily as a rag doll. Masanori gets to his hands and knees, but Yoshikazu is already right in front of him, and kicks Masanori in the chest. His jaw unhinges as he cries out, and all of his senses are lost for a moment.

Yoshikazu laughs. That blow should have killed the annoying pest. It was one that had killed many others. He is of the Yuudai clan, people blessed with strength and power.

But, his laughter and glory is cut short as Masanori curls his fingers around Yoshikazu’s ankle. Yoshikazu’s eyes bulge as he is lifted into the air as Masanori rises. Masanori then slams Yoshikazu down, his back colliding against the ground. Yoshikazu somersaults backwards, and then gets up to his feet.

When he looks at Masanori, there is something different. Almost. . . terrifying. Yoshikazu’s heart begins to race at a rate that it never has before. He remains perfectly silent and still, wide eyes locked onto Masanori.

Masanori stands, a thin stream of blood running down his straight lips. His expression is blank. He is unsheathing his own katana. . . but at the same time slowly begins to open his eyes. . . which were beginning to change.

Yoshikazu could feel his breath hitch as Masanori fully unsheathes his blade, and points it at him.

But, that wasn’t what was so terrifying. It was his now fully opened eyes that made Yoshikazu want to run away like a kid, crying. They are unlike anything he had ever seen before. NO. He has. But, these are different. They were like those of the Parasyte victims. . . still filled with that same demonic essence. Frightening and overwhelming. But the iris is not a pure red as every other Parasyte’s is, but instead Masanori’s are black. Yet, within the center is a glowing, red, ring.

And, as Masanori takes a step toward Yoshikazu, the air pulsates around him.

The thundrous reverberation of a gunshot rips apart the atmosphere, and causes Yoshikazu to gasp, and Masanori to look away from his prey. Yoshikazu and the rest of his men, no longer paralyzed, take this as their chance to dash away. Though, they do leave the unconscious one behind.

Just as Masanori sheathes his blade and closes his eyes once more, Yasu rushes across the bridge and up to him. “Did I scare ‘em away!?” She asks, grinning widely. She looks around Masanori to see the men running, one after the other disappearing into the forest. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Masanori nods, smiling. “Yes, excellent job~ I probably would have been dead otherwise.” He snickers, picking his fan off the ground and waving it in front of his face. “Thank you.”

“Of course!” Yasu beams, hands on hips as she sticks her chest out and holds her head high.

“But may I ask you what you are doing here?” Masanori questions the girl.

“Well I’ve decided that you shouldn’t have to carry this job all by yourself.” Yasu shrugs. “And I’m well-equipped, too!” She gestures to the twin katanas that are attached to her left hip, and then waves her gun about.

“I can see that.” Masanori nods. “But-”

“NO BUTS!” Yasu points, jamming her finger against his nose. “I’m coming with and that’s final!”

There was no arguing with her, Masanori has known her for far too long to be aware of that. . .

“Well, don’t come crying to me when you get a little booboo.” Masanori teases.

“Shut up! I saved your ass!” Yasu huffs, folding her arms over her chest. "You need me more than I need you."

Masanori scratches the back of his head, “I suppose so.” He sighs.

“Alright. Now follow me! I’ll be the leader!” Yasu matter-of-factly states as she marches onward.

Masanori stands where he is for a moment, deep in thought. He takes in a heavy breath, exhales, and then trails slightly behind Yasu as they near the forest.

The two are walking down a forest path, the shadows produced by the natural canopy something that Masanori appreciates very much. Yet, he still walks as though he is a zombie, arms hanging limp as he is slouched forward, and legs dragging.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Yasu scoffs, glancing over her shoulder to look at him. Her strides are longer, every step filled with energy that Masanori wished he had. . . but didn’t due to. . .

His stomach suddenly growls.

Instantly, Yasu is laughing her head off. She doubles over, grasping onto her stomach as she crows. Masanori doesn’t seem the least bit amused, and his eyebrow twitches.

“You know, I was going to get some food before your cat showed up.” Masanori points out as he trudges ahead of Yasu, leaving her behind to continue her laughter.

Abruptly, Yasu is once again strolling in front of him and taking the lead.

“Remember. I’m the leader.” She scolds, dead serious.

Masanori holds his hands up in a form of surrender. He then begins to slow his pace, and sniffs the air. Yasu realizes this, and comes to a stop. Her visage becomes that of curiosity as she looks at Masanori. “Now what is wrong with you?”

Masanori had been gone within seconds, having dashed away. Yasu blinks, staring at the spot he had been standing at before. She then looks at the direction he had taken off and growls. Her brows furrow as her hands form tight fists. Yasu bolts after him.

“BAKA! I’m the leader!” Yasu screams, waving her fists in the air.

She skids to a stop, and falls silent. Masanori stands there, his mouth watering.

“A camp?” Yasu ponders, arching a brow. She takes a cautious step forward, not wanting someone to be nearby.

“There’s no one here.” Masanori says to her, yet his voice is shrill with glee. She knew what his attention was on: the roasted fish that are on sticks in the ground.

Yasu touches one with her fingertips, and smiles. They’re still warm. But, the smile fades. They are warm. . . that means they were recently cooked, and someone is still nearby somewhere.

One of the dozen fish remains, and sitting on the grass with bloated bellies are Yasu and Masanori. They groan, both of them being horribly full. Yasu belches, and Masanori exhales in satisfaction.

“One left.” Yasu tells him. “You can have it.”

“No no no. It’s allllll yours.” Masanori shakes his head.

Reluctantly, Yasu goes to grab it, but stops as she hears footsteps. When Masanori and Yasu look up, standing before them is a young woman – who seems at first confused. Then, the woman’s eyes move over to the empty sticks, that had once held perfectly cooked fish.

She drops the bag she had been holding, and hisses in complete frustration. Several fruits come tumbling out of the bag, and towards Masanori. He is quick to snatch an apple off the ground, and takes a bite of it. Yasu glowers at her idiot companion, a look that said “Really?”

“How dare you. That was my meal! After six hours of fishing!!” The woman unsheathes a blade, and swings at Yasu. She backflips up and onto her feet, avoiding the strike.

“It was him!” Yasu points at Masanori, who has just finished the apple. As Masanori glares at her, she runs away, laughing.

The woman steps up to Masanori, who is still on the ground, too full to get up. She swipes her blade down, and he rolls to the side. She makes another attempt, yet the same thing happens. “Stay still dammit!” By the tenth time, Masanori has rolled a complete circle around her.

His back on the floor, and hands up in surrender, he calls out, “Wai-!”

But, he is silenced as the woman drives her blade straight down. She smiles, and pulls her blade out of his skull.

She can’t.

When the woman looks down to see what the problem is, she gasps. "Wh-what the hell!?"

Masanori had caught the tip of the blade between his teeth. She tries to pull it out of his mouth, but is unable to. He bites down harder, and smiles. The woman doesn’t have time to register the next move. Masanori flicks his head back, and the woman is flung onto the ground behind him. She hits, hard.

Masanori gets to his feet, and brushes the grass off himself. He opens his mouth to remove the katana, and places it by the woman – who is knocked out.

As Masanori goes to leave the woman’s camp, he grabs the last fish. . .

Masanori and Yasu walk into Kōbashī Village. This was probably Yasu’s favorite village. It’s peaceful, yet still energetic. Also, there was so much art. Even the buildings were like art to her. And it reminded her of her parents – who were the original owners of her shop. . . which explains all of the paintings.

She looks at Masanori, who has been ignoring her since the moment he had caught up in the forest. He stares straight ahead, fanning himself.

“Hey, I apologized for ratting you out like that.” Yasu sighs, going to slug his arm. But, Masanori shoots her a glare that she narrowly dodges with a roll of her eyes. “AND leaving you.”

Yasu wasn’t used to seeing Masanori open his eyes. The only time he did was usually when glaring. . . or when surprised. Anything like that. Otherwise, they’re always shut. Even when fighting.

Yasu could easily say she is impressed by him. But, she’d never tell Masanori that.

“Alright then. I could give you a little. . .” Yasu begins to pull down a portion of her top.

Masanori swiftly uses his fan to swat her hand away and flick her top back up. “Don’t ever do that again.” He scolds.

“Well you said saying sorry isn’t enough. . .” Yasu mutters.

“And I would not allow for you to EVER do that. Not for me, or anyone. Got it?” Masanori glowers, startling Yasu. She is quick to nod.

“Don’t worry. I forgave you as soon as I caught back up. . . I wasn’t angry to begin with.” Masanori shakes his head. A lie. He had been upset.

“WHEW!” Yasu sighs in relief, wiping imaginary sweat away from her forehead. “Good!” She exclaims, grinning from ear to ear.

Masanori lightly chuckles, fanning himself once more. But, he stops, and glances over at the boat that passes by. He tenses for a moment, holding his breath. Yasu realizes this, and looks at him in question.

“What’s up?” Yasu wonders aloud.

Masanori continues to fan himself, and keeps walking. “Nothing nothing. Just thought I saw something. But, I suppose I was just seeing things.” He shrugs.

Yasu puffs her cheeks out, knowing that he’s hiding something. Yet, she sprints to get back up to his side, and the two walk in synch beside one another.

“No. I’m fine.” Masanori replies with a laugh, rapidly waving the fan in front of his face.

Yasu gives another yawn, this time making it louder and more dragged out. In return, Masanori does the same. She then notices a difference in his posture, his shoulders now sagging as his head starts to hang lower. Victory is hers.

She rummages through the fur that’s wrapped around her waist, and finds a built in pocket. Yasu searches for a moment, and then hears a quiet jingling. Smiling to herself, Yasu pulls out several coins, and holds them out for Masanori to see.

He looks at them, and she says, “There’s an inn just down this road. Take this and get a room. I’ll be there before ya know it. I just wanna check some of the art out before I go to bed. It always helps me sleep~”

Masanori wasn’t up for fighting. He was ready to crash and not wake up for a very long time. With a sullen nod, Masanori takes the coins from Yasu, gives an appreciative “Thanks,” And then goes on his way.

Yasu stands, waiting for Masanori to disappear around the corner before she dashes the opposite direction, a wide and devious grin on her face.

The two sit in the open space of the home, a candle in the center of them. Though the flame between them was small, Yasu could feel its warmth. She closes her eyes, welcoming the heat. She inhales, and opens her eyes to stare intently at the elderly woman.

Yasu nods, and then states, “I’m traveling with a samurai. . . and we are going to destroy every single one of those godforsaken demons.” Her voice had quickly gone from quiet to a ragged snarl. Yasu’s fingers are curled, clenching onto the fur that rests on her lap.

“You are?” Shigeko muses, tilting her head just the slightest.

“Yes.” Yasu firmly replies, regaining composure.

Shigeko takes a lethargic look around the room, heavily sighing. Her attention skims from one painting to another. There weren’t as many as one would think. . . but there is a reason for that.

“This is because of your parents, isn’t it, Yasu?” Shigeko returns to gazing sincerely at Yasu.

Once more, her answer is a solid: “Yes.”

“And you are willing to put the life of another, this samurai. . . on the line?” Shigeko wonders aloud.

Again. “Yes.” But, Yasu lowers her head this time.

“Your parents were wonderful people, Yuna and Kosuke.” Shigeko is lightly smiling once more. “They were brilliant, and beautiful. Just as you are. They were my greatest pupils, too. Art seemed to come so naturally to the both of them.” Her voice seems to drift.

Yasu, in need of changing the subject before she finds herself crying, says, “Speaking of art, there used to be so much here. . .”

“Ah. Yes.” Shigeko sighs, the frown returning. “Someone has been stealing artwork. But. . . not mine.” She shakes her head before adding: “Your mother’s first paintings.”

Yasu had started out on the ground, trying to search for any clues. Her mind is completely set on finding this thief, and finding her mother’s artwork. Why would someone just take those paintings? Her father’s were sitting around, too, as were Shigeko’s.

She leaps up and onto the tallest building of the village, and crouches. As soon as Yasu does this, a cat is at her side. It’s a calico, with multicolored eyes. Yasu smiles down at the feline and says, “Hey there girl. Could you help me out?”

The cat mews in response, tail flicking from left to right and then forming a question mark.

“Thanks.” Yasu smiles as she rummages through the fur around her waist once more, and pulls out a small painting. She shows it to the cat, whom scans it up and down. “Someone has been stealing these. They’re very important to me. I need you to get into whatever buildings you can for me.”

As soon as Yasu puts the painting away, the cat bounds off the roof and dashes away.

Yasu heavily sighs as she sits down on the roof, and gazes up at the moon. “Masanori is probably sound asleep right now. . .” She snickers.

-漫~*’¨¯¨’*舞*’¨¯¨’*~漫-

Masanori had finally gotten comfortable in the room, at the inn. He is sprawled out on his back, catching his breath. Strange women had walked into his room, telling him that service was on the house. Masanori was more than startled by this, and even more so as they started to undress!

He smacked their hands with his fan, just as he had with Yasu, and was quick to fix their clothes for them.

The women were stubborn, though. Masanori had to fight them out of the room. Fierce warriors is what they were. . . horribly fierce. And for all he knew, they were still sitting outside of the door.

That thought alone makes him shudder.

“I wish Yasu was here. . . she’d know what to do.” Masanori wails, curling into a ball and closing his eyes.

Yasu had dozed off on the roof, when she feels something bat against her face. Her eyes flutter open, and she sees that the calico cat has returned, and it flicks her nose with its tail. It mews up at Yasu, and she grins. “You’ve found something? Great!”

The cat makes its way across the roof, and then leaps down the next one. Yasu nimbly follows, and continues to do so as the feline leads the way.

The two make their way across a wire that connects one building to another, Yasu moving just as lithe as the cat does. She loses footing for a moment, though, and is quick to regain balance. But, she loses her breath for a moment, and feels the panic begin to ebb. The cat, having stopped to check on her, yowls, and then continues on its way.

They make it to the next structure, and Yasu wipes sweat away from her forehead and catches her breath.

She stands at the edge of the roof with her feet hanging off slightly, and the cat pounces down and into the alley way. The shadows consume the space, and Yasu blinks. She spots the cat’s glowing eyes, and then scales down the side of the building to return to trailing behind the animal. Glancing back to see that Yasu has caught back up, the cat picks up speed, and Yasu does the same.

Then, the cat crawls through a small hole in the wall. Yasu takes several steps back, wondering how she would be able to get inside. But, as she thinks, she hears the door unlock. Then, it swings open, and there sits the cat in the doorway.

“Nice!” Yasu beams at her new friend.

Mewing, the cat prances over to sit at her feet, and then waves its tail towards the door.

“Well. . . here I go. . .” Yasu whispers to herself, blinking. She takes in a deep breath before making her way inside.

“This is so. . . weird. . .” Yasu mutters to herself as she walks through the candlelit building. Her mother’s paintings take over most of the space, both old and new. Yasu even recognized some as artwork that had gone missing from her own shop months ago.

“Who the hell. . .” She hisses between her teeth. The light pitter patter of feet is the only other sound the Yasu hears, due to the cat trailing closely at her side.

Yasu then comes to a halt as someone calls out from the surrounding shadows, “Do you like my collection?”

She reaches for her gun that's on her back, but a hand grabs hers. Yasu whirls around and goes to kick the person, but another hand catches her calf. They shove her back, and she flips before landing. The figure steps out of the shadows, and Yasu snarls.

“Who are you? What are you doing with my mother’s paintings!?” Yasu screeches. The cat hisses, fur standing on end. The man just gives a low chuckle.

“I am Nobuyuki Idaina.” He introduces himself. “And I am the man who should have been with your mother.”

Yasu wasn’t the least bit amused by this statement, and she snorts, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“It was me, Yuna, and Kosuke. . . we three were being taught by Shigeko in the way of art. Kosuke, your father. . . he and I were friends once. It was my idea that we learn how to paint. His parents were against it, as they wanted their son to become a samurai. Yet, Kosuke went against their orders, and we started attending Shigeko’s classes. She had the most beautiful apprentice, Yuna Suteki, your mother. I feel in love with her instantly, but so did Kosuke. And she fell in love with him. . .” Nobuyuki’s voice disperses into the timid air of the building. His eyes then rest on Yasu and he smiles, “You look just like your mother.” He frowns. “Except those eyes. . . they’re just like his eyes.”

Yasu takes a step away from him, the cat following in these movements. “So you decided to be a major creep and stole a bunch of my mother’s paintings?”

“A creep? Is that what you see me as. No. I am just a lost lover. . . just as your mother and father are now lost souls. It was his fault though, was it not? I mean, he was the one who took her life.” Nobuyuki dryly remarks, arching a brow.

“YOU’RE WRONG!” Yasu snaps at him. She swiftly pulls her gun out of the back holster and aims it at Nobuyuki’s head. “IT WAS PARASYTE! NOT MY FATHER!”

She goes to pull the trigger, but another hand comes out of the shadows around them, and yanks up. Yasu staggers backwards, still gripping onto the gun. She gasps, tilting her head back to see another man. This one is wearing a strange mask. Of a demon’s face. He slams his elbow down, trying to get Yasu in the face. But, she twists out of the way and gets her gun out of his hold. She slams it into the side of his head, making him topple over. But, two more figures knock her down, and her gun is sent clanking to the floor as she is.

“These paintings are gorgeous, but will never equal up to her.” Nobuyuki shakes his head as he steps up to her once more. As he does this, at least a dozen masked men stand behind him, and surround Yasu.

“Though. . . you may. . . just so long as we can get rid of those damn eyes.” Nobuyuki smirks, unsheathing his katana and nearing Yasu. She reaches for her gun, just as Nobuyuki’s blade nears her eyes. She freezes, her breath catching in her throat.

Nobuyuki looks down at Yasu, but her expression reveals that she is just as confused as he is. He moves his katana away from Yasu, giving her time to swipe her gun off the ground, and aim at him once more. Her finger is on the trigger, and she is ready to shoot.

But, before she can, Masanori steps before them. He is yawning, and then rubs his eyes in a sleepy manner. Nobuyuki lowers his defense slightly, his confusion increasing. But, the remaining masked men all pull out their weapons, ranging from spears to bows and arrows to knives.

Yet, Masanori holds nothing in his hands.

“Masanori.” Yasu gasps, lowering her gun.

“It seems like you got into quite the predicament.” He gives a hearty chuckle. All she can do is nod, in slight disbelief.

How did he know. . .?

“What did you do to my men?” Nobuyuki questions, raising his blade once more as he clutches it with both hands. Yet, his stance is still more on the defensive.

He was being literal, too. The men that had disappeared are truly hanging from the ceiling. But, they’re knocked out, not dead. He had only wrapped the ropes around their ankles. . . as Masanori was one to not kill just on a whim. Unnecessary death and violence is something Masanori would say “No thanks” to.

She smiles at this. But it fades and her eyebrow twitches as Masanori continues, “So then I can actually get some sleep. You see, these women showed up, and wanting to give me some service. I didn’t want it, and they just ended up sitting outside of the room. And I know that Yasu over there will be able to get rid of them.”

At this, Nobuyuki erupts into laughter. But, within seconds, he stops, and responds. “Sorry kid, but the girl is mine.”

“Then it looks like you’re just another man in the way.” Nobuyuki remarks, preparing to strike. He does so, but it’s a messy movement. This man isn’t experienced with a weapon, that much Masanori can instantly tell. This will be easy.

Masanori doesn’t use his fan, and just his bare hands. He smacks the blade away by slapping the flat of it with his palm. Nobuyuki makes an attempt to swing the blade right back at Masanori, who just dips down and twists on the ground. His heel catches Nobuyuki’s ankle, knocking him off balance. Masanori then twists the other way and catches Nobuyuki’s ankle between the teeth of his geta. He snaps his leg up, causing Nobuyuki to leap off the ground and land on his back.

Masanori hums to himself as he rises, and pats dust away from his clothes. “You should really learn how to tidy these floors my friend.” He says.

Nobuyuki growls before looking at the masked men, who had started to inch towards the door. Before they could make their escapes, he shouts, “ATTACK HIM YOU FOOLS!”

Hesitant, all of the men charge at once.

Masanori continues to hum to himself as he sweeps from side to side, avoiding their attacks. He has hinds hands clasped together behind his back. As one man tries to hit Masanori’s stomach with nunchucks, he flips backwards. Another main is waiting behind him, and he just twirls to the side, ending in the two men striking each other instead of Masanori.

Masanori rushes out of the building, and the masked men stay where they are. They all exchange wary and questioning glances, and then shrug before dropping their weapons.

Meanwhile, Nobuyuki moves from rooftop to rooftop, holding Yasu under his armpit. She struggles within his hold, trying to slip away. But, Nobuyuki just clutches onto her even tighter, making her scoff.

“He’s probably chasing after you right now.” Yasu hisses between her teeth.

“Oh, I don’t think so. My men are some of the top warriors from around the country! By the time your little friend shows up, I’ll have already finished with you.” Nobuyuki replies with a manic chuckle.

“Dude, you’ve lost it.” Yasu remarks, her brows furrowing as she makes a face of disgust.

“I second that!” Someone shouts from behind them. Nobuyuki’s eyes widen as he looks over his shoulder to see Masanori nearing, and holding a hand up.

Nobuyuki produces a sound between a cough and a laugh. He skids to a stop, and stands on the rooftop of the tallest building in the village – the same one Yasu had met the cat on. Nobuyuki places Yasu in front of him, using her as a human shield. His grip is still strong, as she finds herself unable to move away.

Masanori stands at the other end of the rooftop, eyes locked onto Nobuyuki.

“I don’t know what the big deal is?” Nobuyuki says to Masanori, arching his brows. “I promise to take excellent care of her.” As he says this, he begins to grope Yasu. Her cheeks flare red as she tenses.

Masanori’s eyes snap open, his auburn eyes burning knives into Nobuyuki’s soul. He stops touching Yasu and gives a nervous laugh. Masanori dashes forward, swiftly and at an almost inhuman speed. Nobuyuki is startled as Masanori is suddenly a foot in front of him. There was nowhere for Nobuyuki to go. But, even if he wanted to move, Masanori wouldn’t have given him time. As soon as Masanori steps before Nobuyuki, he kicks up, his heel connecting with the underside of Nobuyuki’s chin.

Nobuyuki stumbles backwards, dazed. Masanori goes to grab Yasu, but misses her by centimeters. And as Nobuyuki falls off the roof, Yasu is brought with him. She screams, getting an arm up, which Masanori instantly catches.

She dangles off the roof, her chest heaving as her eyes are wide. The only thing keeping her from her death is Masanori, who kneels at the edge of the roof, fingers wound tightly around her wrist.

“If I’m going, I’m taking you with me!” Nobuyuki roars up at Yasu. He swings his other arm up, and grasps onto her other ankle. She winces, and starts to slip out of Masanori’s grip.

Yasu manages to get her free hand up, and grabs her gun. Trembling, she removes the weapon off her back, and aims it straight down at Nobuyuki. Before Nobuyuki could do or say anything, Yasu had pulled the trigger. Her arm jolts, and she could instantly feel Nobuyuki’s grip loosen. . . before his fingers uncurl and he drops several stories down. Yasu didn’t want to look to see it, but she could hear the gut-wrenching thud of his lifeless body. . . that also included several cracks of bones.

Masanori yanks Yasu up, and she burrows her face into his chest as she sits in his lap. He wraps his arms around her in a comforting way. . . and doesn't say a word. He knows how much silence can be loved in these situations. . .

After a moment, Masanori softly asks Yasu, “Are you alright? He didn’t. . . touch you in any other way, did he?”

Yasu gives a quiet laugh, and shakes her head. “I’m fine. And no, he didn’t.”

“Good.” Masanori exhales, giving her one last hug before getting them both to their feet.

They turn to leave the rooftop, but Masanori comes to a quick halt and whirls back around, unsheathing his katana in the process. . . and it connects with Nobuyuki’s.

“What the hell?” Yasu gasps.

Nobuyuki has no visible wounds, but he was different. His eyes glow a powerful blood red, and he gives a sickening fanged grin. Strength emits off him, and Yasu knew this all too well.

“Parasyte.” She shakes her head.

Masanori kicks Nobuyuki, but he barely budges back. “He must have been infected. . . but it was dormant. . . until he died.”

“That’s possible!?” Yasu exclaims, her eyes widening.

“Yes.” Masanori answers with a frown.

He gets into an offensive stance, holding his katana with one hand. Yasu looks at him, and gulps.

“Yasu. Get to the inn.” Masanori commands, his brows knitting together. "A victim who has been killed and then comes back because of Parasyte is someone completely different compared to other victims."

Nobuyuki goes to chase after Yasu, but Masanori steps in front of him and slashes. Nobuyuki dodges by back stepping, and then swings down in return. Masanori stops Nobuyuki’s blade with his own, and the two struggle to gain the upper hand.

Finally, Nobuyuki gets a hand free and punches at Masanori. His fist connects with Masanori’s shoulder. At first, the blow didn’t seem like anything abnormal. But, there is a second where the two stand frozen in that position, until a large blast comes from Nobuyuki’s knuckles, and Masanori is sent hurdling backwards and off the roof.

Masanori regains balance in the air, and backflips. He lands on the next roof over, and Nobuyuki is quick to bound into the air. Hovering in front of the full moon, Nobuyuki’s red eyes seem to illuminate even more, and he then produces a blood-curdling laugh.

He comes down on Masanori, who once more stops Nobuyuki’s blade by holding up his own. But, the air around Masanori seemed to explode, and the rooftop beneath them caves in. Masanori is sent crashing through the building, rubble falling down on top of him. Masanori tosses the rubble aside, but is now encased in dust.

Masanori looks to see his katana several feet away, and before he can move to retrieve it, Nobuyuki leaps in front of him and slashes. Masanori avoids the blade by somersaulting. Skillfully while rolling on the ground, Masanori snatches his blade up, and then gets to his feet and into a defensive stance. Nobuyuki slowly turns to grin at Masanori once more.

“Should have just given me the damn girl, then you’d be safe and sound. . . and not about to die.” Nobuyuki snickers, his voice shrill with insanity.

“I would not just hand my friend over.” Masanori scowls, standing his ground. “Especially to a monster like you. Even before Parasyte kicked in. . . you were a monster.”

At this, Nobuyuki throws his head back and thrusts his chest out, and produces another crazed laugh. Masanori just stands, and stares at Nobuyuki. His expression towards him isn’t of disgust, or pure hatred. But, instead, it is one of a person who feels pain. . . who feels sorry.

“I’m sorry my friend.” Masanori whispers, taking in a quiet breath. He closes his eyes and exhales. When he opens them, they are black with the glowing red ring. His stance changes, and the atmosphere seemed to crack around Masanori.

Before Nobuyuki could react, Masanori had vanished. Nobuyuki looks around in confusion, fear starting to consume his confidence. He moves in a slow circle, ready for anything that Masanori throws at him.

Nobuyuki cries out as his left arm is cut off at the elbow. Pain streaks throughout his entire being, as does panic. He swings his blade in random motions, his ability to think diminished. Masanori effortlessly moves away from each and every swipe. And Nobuyuki still doesn’t see him. He moves too fast. Much too quick.

Masanori’s feet barely touch the ground, and he moves on his toes. One second in front of Nobuyuki, the next he is beside. Masanori’s arm was already starting to grow back. . . but at a very slow pace. With a sharp intake of breath, Masanori smashes his leg against the backside of Nobuyuki’s knees, forcing Nobuyuki onto his knees. Nobuyuki screeches as he swings his blade at Masanori once more. But, again, Masanori avoids the attempt and leaps onto and off of Nobuyuki’s back.

Getting to his feet, Nobuyuki looks around, snarling. Masanori comes down like a missile, and slices in a long diagonal motion.

After having leaped off Nobuyuki’s back, Masanori had jumped right up to the ceiling. As soon as he was a yard away, he tucked himself into a ball and twisted his body, so his legs were first instead of his head. His feet then connected with the ceiling, and he propelled himself off and back down towards Nobuyuki.

Masanori, having been going head first towards the ground, rolls into a ball and somersaults as he touches the floor. He rolls several times before stopping, one knee on the ground and his other extended forward as his arm is outstretched. . . with blade aimed towards the parallel wall.

Nobuyuki, having barely stepped aside as Masanori came down, screams as a large portion of his left side falls off – from his shoulder all the way down. Before he can fall over, Masanori is once more in front of him, with blade running straight through his chest and out his back. Nobuyuki spews blood, the life fading from his eyes as they swirl back to their original, human, color.

The full moon perfectly shines down on them, through the hole in the roof.

Weakly, Nobuyuki laughs, and digs his claws into Masanori’s shoulder. He stares straight into Masanori’s inhuman eyes. . . and says, “You’re just as much a monster as I am. . . if not. . . more.” Then, his body falls limp, but is supported by Masanori’s blade.

Without a word, Masanori flicks Nobuyuki off his katana, and then exits the building.

Masanori walks through the village and towards the inn, katana sheathed and eyes shut. He wears a somber expression, and is completely silent. He slowly brings himself to a stop, and then leans back against the wall of the inn. Running down his cheek as though it’s a teardrop, is a streak of blood – Nobuyuki’s blood. He lowers his head, and sinks down slightly.

“Masanori!” Yasu calls out, peering through an overhead window and down at him. He tilts his head back to look at her, and smiles.

Instantly, she has rushed out of the building and to him. Her first instinct is to hug him, but she decides to punch his chest instead. “You had me worried for a moment.” She admits with a chuckle.

“No need for that.” Masanori shakes his head as he pushes himself away from the wall and stands straight.

“You have something. . .” Yasu points at his face. He presses his fingers against his cheek, and then makes a quiet ‘oh’ sound, and then wipes the blood away.

She then seems to be scanning him, and her eyes widen as she the points at his shoulder. Masanori glances down to look at the open wounds, which are four punctures from Nobuyuki’s claws.

“It’s nothing.” Masanori reassures.

“Nothing? No no no. Don’t tell me that!” Yasu scolds, taking his hand and starting to lead them away from the inn. “That came from someone infected by Parasyte. For all we know you could end up infected. And I am not letting that happen! I am not letting you become one of those damn monsters!”

Masanori’s heart seemed to stop for a moment, and his eyes drop. Her words drilled painfully into his chest. But he covers it all with a laugh, “Alright alright. But where are we going?”

A man is seen in a doctor's office.... he has very little clothing on showing a muscular build... he is treating a woman's dislocated shoulder...she is hesitant..."Are you sure your a doctor... your awfully young, well built and Hot" she says

The man smiles... "Im a traveling doctor... im 21 years old now but i spent 2 years focused on medical studies day and night... i had made a promise that i would learn medicine to heal ... and im not a expert but im pretty damn good still learning... and there you go" he says getting her shoulder back into the socket but her rob slips down revealing her breast

The man stares at the large breast and his face goes red....the woman see's this..."AAHHH PERVERT" she screams slapping him repeatedly...."Ahh no miss ... your mistaken... ahhh LADY" he says as he catches her arm... "Im sorry" he says as she slaps him one more time before walking out.... "YOUR A PERVERT DOCTOR YASHIRO" she says